Indicating fuse assembly

A fuse assembly, comprising:

• a base;
• a cover, having at least one indicator well, matable with said base, wherein said cover and base cooperate so as to define a housing with a cavity;
• a first conducting post and a second conducting post, each of said posts having a first end and a second end;
• said of said first and second posts being mounted within and extending through said base with one of said first and second post ends being disposed within said cavity;
• at least one indicating snubber being positioned within said at least one indicator well and generally aligned with one of said first and second conducting posts;
• a fuse element disposed within said cavity and coupling said one end of said first and second conducting posts, which fuse element ruptures so as to open a circuit between said posts, said fuse element retaining said snubber within said well at a fuse operative position;
• and
• biasing means disposed within said well for biasing said snubber so as to contact said fuse element at said operative position and for moving said indicating snubber from said well so as envelop at least one of said first and second conducting posts when said fuse element ruptures so as to separate ruptured segments of said fuse element so as to prevent arcing between said fuse element segments and to indicate fuse-element rupture and fuse-assembly inoperability.

A fuse assembly comprising:

• a base;
• a cover having an upper surface, a first arc-shaped portion and a second arc-shaped portion, said arc-shaped portions centrally converging at a tangent point;
• said cover and said base cooperating to define a housing with a cavity;
• a first conducting post and a second conducting post, each of said posts having a first end and a second end,
• said first and second posts mounted in said base with one of said first and second ends of each post extending into said cavity and generally aligned with an arc shaped portion of said upper surface of said cover and the other of said ends protruding outside said base;
• a fuse element coupling said first and second posts in said cavity;
• a snubber having means for pivoting, a first end cap and a coupling arm, a second end cap and a second coupling arm, each of said first and second end-cap coupling arms connected to said means for pivoting;
• said cover having a first detents and a second detent, said means for pivoting positioned in said first and second detent to allow said snubber to pivot in said cavity between a fuse-operable position and fuse-inoperable position;
• means for biasing positioned between said snubber and said upper surface and operable to pivot said snubber and capture one of said conducting terminals in one said first and second end-caps and to position the other of said first and second end-caps at said upper surface at fuse-element rupture.

A fuse assembly for an electrical circuit, comprising:

• a housing having a chamber and a wall with an external surface;
• a fuse element rupturable at an electric current level above a predetermined current level;
• a first conducting post and a second conducting post, each of said conducting posts having a first end and a second end, at least one of said first and second ends of each of said posts having means for securing said fuse element thereto;
• said first and second conducting posts extending through said wall with said fuse-securing-means end positioned within said chamber and the other one of said ends operable to couple said fuse assembly within said circuit;
• said fuse element, disposed within said chamber and secured between said first and second posts by said fuse-securing means at a fuse-operable condition, being rupturable at an overcurrent condition above said predetermined current level into a first segment and a second segment at each of said respective first and second posts, which segments are separable within said chamber so as to inhibit arcing between said fuse element segments;
• and
• indicating snubber means movable within said housing between a first position at which said snubber means is disposed in contact with said fuse element when said fuse element is in a nonruptured intact condition, and a second position at which said snubber means spans a gap defined between said first and second conducting posts when said fuse element is in said ruptured condition so as to separate said ruptured segments of said fuse element so as to prevent said arcing between said fuse element segments.